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New £1.3million Think! Motorcycle campaign launched

The Government has launched a new £1.3million campaign to get drivers to look out for riders at junctions.

Radio and petrol station ads will run from now until May urging drivers to take longer to look for riders.

Ads will also appear on Video On Demand TV, aimed particularly at young drivers. The campaign tells drivers to ‘see the person behind the helmet’ and is timed to coincide with riders returning to the roads for spring.

In 2011, 74% of motorcyclist deaths and serious injuries involved another vehicle. The Department for Transport is spending more on the initiative than almost any other road safety campaign this year apart from a push to curb drink-driving.

Launching the campaign, Road Safety Minister Stephen Hammond said: “Thirty bikers are killed or injured in accidents at junctions every day. I am determined to reduce this terrible toll.

"That is why we are funding this THINK! campaign to remind drivers to look out for motorcyclists - particularly at junctions - and to see the person behind the helmet, not just a motorbike."

A DfT statement said: ‘The campaign was informed by accident statistics, which show that motorists pulling out in front of motorcyclists is a major cause of deaths and injuries; and wider research showing that drivers are more likely to notice motorcyclists on the roads if they know a biker themselves.’

Neil Greig, policy director at the Institute of Advanced Motorists, said: “There are far too many SMIDSY – ‘sorry mate, I didn’t see you’ - accidents on our roads today, so we welcome the new Think! awareness campaign for motorcyclists.

‘Failed to look’ is the top reason for serious crashes and research shows that drivers often miss smaller vehicles when they scan the road before a turn. A few extra moments spent checking for motorcyclists means everyone gets home safely."